Armored Core: The Discovery
by Eklipse
Summary: A young Raven finds an ancient artifact that was lost in the sands of time. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Armored Core and this story was created without permission. Armored Core is a trademark of Agetec and From Software.

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**Chapter 1: Behind the Scenes**

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An orbital marvel, Rapture is the largest structure known to man. First starting out as a satellite colony, the cost of travel between the Earth and the space station was putting a severe strain on the economy. To remedy this, the Earth's Government decided to build an elevator to connect the station and Earth. It would take almost a century to complete, but once it was done, travel between the two places was not only quicker and easier, but a lot cheaper as well. Accomplishing its objective, the space colony flourished and was given its name.

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**Rapture Space Station: Year 2192.**  
_Rapture's Maintenance Hangar._

Systems Check Engaging:  
Necessary Parts Check…..  
Generator And Energy Check….  
Booster and Overboost Check…  
Radiator And Heat Check….  
Fire Control System Check….  
Weapons Check Unavailable  
Optional Parts Check Unavailable  
All Available Systems Ready!

The machine stood on the repair line along with a number of other mechs. Some of the mechanic bays were empty, either waiting for a pilot to arrive, or just finished with repairs. A red tint of light illuminated the entire maintenance space, which was filled with different noises from the separate repair stations. The area was the size of about half a mile in length, and half of that in width. The roof was tall enough to kill a person if they fell from that height. Power flowed through all of one mech's components. Its hands were empty, and its core was bare of any unnecessary parts. The weapons were housed in a storage container across the hangar bay, along with its sword and shield parts. The back parts, as well as the right and left arm parts were all in separate labeled containers, which lined the immense wall. A raspy voice could be heard from the center of the behemoth robot.

"Alright Mack, All systems show green! Now let's fire her up!"

The mechanic at the switchboard of the repair dock nodded, wearing a helmet with muffler headsets. He pressed a red button on the control panel, sending a signal to the robot's engines.

"Boosters are warming up! And…..Ignition!"

A loud whirring sound was followed by an even louder roar as the boosters spit out a bright blue flame, pushing the mech forward a few feet before being stopped by the supports across its frame. The structure bent from the force, but remained stable.

"Engine 1, 2, and 4 are showing normal! Engine 3 looks a bit shaky though!"

The mechanics heard a voice from their headsets. It came from the control deck positioned behind the repair station. The voice was young, and even-toned. The operations supervisor stood in the deck, watching as the intense flames burst through the pipes of the engine, before dieing out.

"Luke, you said engine 3?"

"Right, it looks like its just a few bolts loose. Nothing major."

The mechanic in the core of the mech stood from the cockpit and climbed to its shoulder, using steel ladder that came down from a cradle on top of the structure. The supports straightened themselves out, now that the force was let off. The mechanic waved at the control deck.

"Thanks for the help Luke. We would've never known!"

"No problem Ralph."

The supervisor nodded and waved back, then walked off, continuing his rove of the maintenance station.

A couple of hours later, the mech was prepped and ready for another test run. This time, it would go off without a hitch. A young, dark-haired man came up to the mechanic at the switchboard, looking at the machine. His frame was athletic, yet slightly muscular, unlike that of the repairman in front of him, who had a much thicker body. The engines were cut off again and he turned around. Mack yelled at him, not realizing volume of his voice.

"Hey Kai! Here to see how the repairs are going?"

The man nodded, already used to the shouting. He was the mech's pilot, and he was here to pick up his machine.

"The third engine was a bit loose from your last battle. Probably from all that overboosting you love to do so much. You need to calm down with that, or before long, you'll lose one engine mid-battle."

The mechanic looked back at the robot and nodded.

"Other than that, she's looking alright. All we need to do now is load up your weapons and configure your FCS."

Kai placed his hand on the man's shoulder, and Mack turned his head towards him. The pilot moved his head to Mack's ear, so he would hear clearly.

"Now, you know I configure my FCS the way I like it. Let me take care of that part."

The repairman nodded, then continued working, pressing a button here and a button there. Half an hour had passed and Kai was in the pilot's seat, taking Ralph's place, who now stood on the repair bay. Crane arms moved around, lifting steel crates around and removing the weapons Kai had picked out. Five different cranes worked in what seemed to be musical harmony, lifting heavy weapons and moving them to their respective slots on the mech. The Optional Parts were the first ones loaded, housed within the core itself. A high-ammunition machine gun was placed in the machine's right hand, a heavy-hitting beam sword on the left. The right shoulder held a missile launcher which wasn't too big, compared to others of the same type. It was just the right size to hold a good amount of ammunition without being too heavy. The only weapon which hindered the AC slightly, was the high-energy beam rifle hooked up to its left shoulder. It shared the same energy source as the beam rifle and the core's engines, as well as powering all the smaller components. To offset the energy cost, Kai purchased a high-priced generator, which dished out a massive amount of energy to compensate. The only downside to it was its heavy weight. The energy source put a bit of a strain on the legs, but not enough to pose a problem. The system had to be shut down for the equipping process, and before long, the mech was powered back for configuration. Kai typed away on the touch-pad keyboard, setting up the computer like how he liked it. By the end of the day, the repair work and configuration would be completed. His machine was set up for optimal performance, which would be put to the test the next day.


	2. Chapter 2

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**Chapter 2: VIP Only.**

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The vast majority of Earth's population was wiped out by a cataclysmic war known as the Great Destruction, which started in 2054. The harsh conditions that resulted forced the few remaining survivors to live underground for fifty years, during which major corporations came to power, constantly battling each other for supremacy. This caused significant strife among the populace. However, the competition provides endless opportunities for the Ravens, mercenaries who exist independently of the corporations.

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**Rapture Space Station: Year 2192.  
**_Rapture's Captain's Lounge_

A folder lay on a table in the middle of the room. It was opened and showed a black-and-white picture of a young man. The pages behind were held to the photo by a paper clip.

Name: Kai Montgomery  
Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade  
D.O.B: 04/24/2170  
Birthplace: Old Avalon City

The only part of the document that was visible. The rest was covered up by a blank sheet of paper, which moved as the folder was tossed on the table.

"I'm still not sure if we should send him on this mission. Can we trust him to pull through?"

The female voice was calm and casual. She took a sip of her hot tea, the steam rising from the cup as she placed it on the white table in front of her. The lounge was small, and private. The white round table the cup rested on was the only furniture, save 5 white seats placed around it. A large window took the place of one of the walls, and it showed the blackness of space. The distant stars and the planet Earth were the only things visible from the window. The sun was behind the Earth, as the colony continued its orbit around the planet. A man bit into an apple in his hand and responded to her question with a nod, and then spoke, his voice was deep, but clear.

"Isuka, he shows a lot of promise. We don't know what he'll face on this mission, but we have to have faith in him. How else are we going to see his ability if we don't put it to the test?"

A second man sat across the table from the two. His hair was slicked back and he had his arms crossed in front of him. He seemed older than the other two, and sounded his age.

"He's got potential. I want to see him in actual battle. He's been through enough simulations."

Isuka stood, her white uniform straightened and she looked at the men. Her hands were on the table and she addressed both of them. "So it's settled. We'll allow him to commence the mission. I hope you two are right about him."

The older man stood as well, then grabbed his coat which was hanging on a clothes rack suspended on the wall behind him, sliding it on. He took his hat, as well as Isuka's which he immediately handed to her. She grabbed it, as well as her coat, and then looked at the man still sitting. She asked in a gentle tone, "Are you coming, Jenkins?"

He shook his head, staring at the stars he could see through the window.

"No, I'm just going to stay here for a bit longer. Marvel at the stars. You guys can go on without me. Oh, and Hawking…". Lieutenant Jenkins turned his head to him, leaning back against the chair.

The man turned to look at him as he put his hat on. His reply was almost instant. "Yes Jenkins?"

"Make sure the kid's got everything he needs for tomorrow."

"Of course."

With that, Captain Isuka and Lieutenant Hawking left, the automatic door sliding open as they neared it, then shutting behind them. The room was silent, as was Jenkins, his breathing the only sound he could hear. He preferred it that way every once in a while. It gave him time to think to himself, and reflect on the events of his life. He did just that, gazing at the stars and Earth as the station slowly continued its orbit.


	3. Chapter 3

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**Chapter 3: Redundancy**

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Ravens.  
Mercenaries who pilot massive robots called Armored Cores. Falling under no specific allegiance, they accomplish missions given to them by the different corporations that came into power after the Great Destruction. In return for their services, the corporations pay the Ravens large sums of money. That is….if they survive.

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**Rapture Space Station: Year 2192.**  
_Rapture's Briefing Room_

Kai was already sitting on one of the chairs, leaning against it and watching the security camera hanging from the ceiling. His dark brown eyes shifted to the second screen, watching another area of the hallway. He saw a group of people cleaning the passageway, and another group doing the same thing further down. _"Enlisted…"_ he thought. The third screen showed the hallway leading to the door of where he waited. Not a thing. He shifted his gaze to the fourth screen for a second, then turned back to the third screen as movement caught his eye. A slender woman and a bulky man walked up to the door, and it slid open. Kai turned to look at the entranceway to see Captain Isuka and Lieutenant Hawking walking in. The captain held a folder, which she placed on the table in front of Kai. He picked it up and opened it, looking through its contents. The lieutenant took a seat across the table from him, looking at Kai. The captain spoke in an explanatory voice.

"That is the mission briefing. It shows what exactly your targets are, and the allied objects which cannot be destroyed. The mission is a delicate one, and Emeraude feels that upon completion of the objectives, they will gain the upper hand against Zio. The payment is already in the process of clearing. You'll receive the money before you enter your mech. The Emeraude Corporation has great faith in you, as does some of your higher-ups. Do not disappoint them."

Kai listened to her, confirming everything she told him within the pages of the folder. He turned to a page and the lieutenant spoke.

"Your objectives are as follows…"

Pressing a button on a remote he held, a hologram appeared in the center of the table. A cargo truck flickered into the green projection area, the vehicle glowing greener than its surrounding background. It spun slowly, showing all its dimensions.

"You are to locate this cargo truck and destroy it. It is carrying a prototype AI upgrade that will be vital to Zio's mobile doll line."

The truck vanished and was substituted with a mech, much simpler in design to the Armored Core he piloted. Its biped legs were reverse-jointed, so it bent the opposite direction at the knees. Guns were mounted next to the cockpit, and the cockpit itself was the largest area of the machine, being quite an easy target.

"This is the prototype design for one of the variations of first generation mobile dolls. They work using AI, and are unmanned, which means they not only have a higher learning curve, but can also be sacrificed to accomplish the mission. We know of at least two more variations of dolls, but that's all. We don't know what they look like or what they are capable of."

The truck appeared again, then shrunk, scaling itself to the robot. More robots appeared, and Kai counted 5 more before the display froze.

"The truck will undoubtedly be guarded by their original dolls, but the AI currently in use is inferior, being as the concept of unmanned mechs is fairly new. Your second objective is to destroy all opposing forces. We don't know exactly what you'll face, so you'll have to be on guard."

The hologram disappeared and Kai turned to the lieutenant, but it was Captain Isuka who spoke next.

"A lot is riding on this mission Lieutenant. If Zio gets their hands on that AI, it could not only be bad on Emeraude, but it would make everyone's lives harder, as well as our battles."

Kai nodded as the captain sat. They spoke for a couple of hours more, going into detail about the mission and its parameters. Kai looked at the screen about halfway through, and noticed the enlisted were still finishing up their cleaning, then left. He resumed his briefing after the short interruption.

"So, you have all that you need. Is your AC ready to go?", Lieutenant Hawking asked as he stood and pushed his chair in. Kai nodded, then responded, "Yessir." Isuka stood as well, then smiled. "Good, get yourself ready and standby for launch."

"Aye aye, Captain."

Kai was the first one to leave, the automatic door sliding open as he walked out. He noticed a different group of enlisted were busy cleaning what had already been done. Kai looked around for any dust, any marks, any sign of dirtiness. He saw nothing, then wondered why. He overheard one of them complaining.

"Man, we're cleaning nothing! This whole station has been cleaned five times today, and this will be the sixth. We'll be scrubbing holes into the deck at this rate."

The man he spoke to agreed.

"Yea, I joined to be an electrician! Not a janitor! I've been in for a year now, and I have yet to touch a piece of equipment."

Kai walked on, not wanting to interfere. The thought plagued his mind as he continued heading towards the launching bay and passing more people cleaning. He wondered what the point of it all was, but couldn't come up with an answer. He agreed that some cleaning was necessary, but six times in one day seemed a bit much. The doors opened and he walked into the armory. _"Alright. Almost showtime."_ Kai felt a mixture of nervousness and excitement building up inside him as he slid on his gear. Once suited up, an elevator awaited him across the hall. He rode it to the top, then walked along a narrow bridge, leading to the cockpit of his mobile.

"Good luck Lieutenant."

The voice came from his helmet as he took a seat in the mech, and Kai turned his attention to a launching station above the platform. Captain Isuka was watching him get ready, and he knew she was hoping for his safe return. The cockpit closed and slid back to the center of the core. Darkness surrounded him for a few moments before a screen turned on in front of him. A keypad turned on as well, and Kai pressed a sequence of buttons, lights turning on all around him as he heard the AC powering up.


	4. Chapter 4

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**Chapter 4: Not That Easy...**

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After the Great Destruction, corporations took advantage of the planet's weakened stated and decided to try and take over, paying the Ravens to work for them. The largest corporation, Zio Matrix, plans to control everyone with an iron fist. Emeraude, not too far behind from Zio, has different plans for the planet. Smaller corporations also struggle to make a name for themselves, but find that it is much harder to stand up to these behemoth corporations than originally thought. The main fighting force for the corporations were machines known as Muscle Tracers, or MTs. They came in many different forms, but were inferior to the Raven's ACs.

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**Rapture Space Station: Year 2192.  
**_Rapture's Launching Catapult_

" Launch sequence activated."

An automated female voice came from speakers around his seat, followed by the familiar voice of Lieutenant Hawking.

"Alright. Good luck. Prepare for launch."

Kai nodded, then let out a breath. The speakers in the launch pad blasted to life, announcing the take-off.

"MSN-04 NERATI cleared for launch."

The mech's name. Its serial number. Kai just called it Nerati.

Launch in 3…"

Here we go.

"2…"

No turning back now.

"1…"

Showtime.

"Launch!"

Kai felt a massive force press against his body as the inertia pushed him against his seat, the mech moving forward at an incredible speed. As terminal velocity was reached, he felt the force let off, and he could breathe again. He drifted through space for a short time. Kai's rest was only a short break as the mech began to shake violently, breaking the planet's atmosphere. As he fell towards the Earth, he felt the cockpit start to heat up, but only briefly as the temperature regulator kicked on and sent a signal to the radiator, immediately cooling the space down. Kai closed his eyes, crossing his arms and waited for the landing sequence to start. About 10 minutes later, the sequence activated, boosters on the mech's legs and chest blasted on, turning the AC upright. A few moments later, the main boosters ignited and slowed the machine's descent, finally touching ground as lightly as possible, considering the mech's multi-ton weight. Kai opened his eyes as the automated voice spoke and looked at the video feed from the AC's perspective.

"Mission Objective identified. System switched to Combat Mode."

A barren desert was all he could see. The radar display to his left indicated multiple targets behind him, and he turned the bot around. Destroyed builings from a ghost town lost in the Great Destruction appeared in the distance, as well as his objectives.

"Bingo. There they are."

Five MTs surrounded a large cargo trailer as dust kicked from its tires. The convoy moved away from Kai, and he pushed in the foot pedal, the main boosters on the AC's back, and the smaller boosters on the back of its thighs pushed the mech forward, the speed creating an air pocket under its feet and making it glide over the ground. The speedometer read over 300 miles per hour, and the group grew near quickly. It seemed that he was detected on their radar, because the MTs stopped and turned around as the convoy took cover under what was left of a bridge. The escorts opened fire on Nerati, their machine guns letting out streams of bullets in its direction. Strafing to the left, Kai avoided the line of fire and the missile pod on the AC's shoulder opened up, the FCS quickly locked on to two of its enemies. Flames burst from the rear of the projectiles and flew quickly, striking both in the cockpits within seconds and exploding. The impact ripped the steel frame to shreds and the robot collapsed. the FCS was highly accurate, especially because the largest area of the MT was the cockpit. Poor design. Nerati's machine gun roared to life as a barrage of high speed bullets struck another MT, piercing the center and hitting its fuel storage, blasting a hole above its leg joint and toppling the machine over. The remaining two enemies took cover behind two adjacent buildings, waiting to strike. The AC entered the city as the laser rifle and sword energized, swinging the blade through the windows of one of the structures. The red beam of plasma quickly cut along the edge of the tower, and sliced through the mech hiding behind it, both halves of the bot lined by molten metal. Using the momentum of the swing, Kai turned his machine around, firing the beam rifle at the last robot, leaving only a hole lined by heated steel. As if in slow motion, both of the MTs collapsed hard, the sliced Tracer exploding upon impact. Kai looked at his radar and saw one last target. The cargo truck, which he located it quickly and destroyed it. A moment later, an explosion was heard directly behind Nerati, pushing it forward slightly. Kai turned to see an AC closing in quickly. The automated voice spoke once more.

"Enemy AC approaching. Target unidentified."

He looked at the console in front of him, as if it was the one who spoke to him. He talked in a sarcastic tone.

"Thanks a lot Nerati...I had no idea."

The mech turned to face the oncoming enemy, Kai's eyes narrowing.

"I had a feeling it was too easy..."


	5. Chapter 5

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**Chapter 5: No Contest  
**

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Always fighting to be the best, the Ravens designed a virtual reality program which simulated every aspect of their ACs, pitting Raven against Raven in a one-on-one, or two-on-two battle for dominance. It was an instant success amongst their peers, and before long, a ranking system was created. It constantly changed as Ravens won and lost battles. The program was deemed Raven's Arena, and the strongest was given the title of Nine Breaker.

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**Earth's Surface**  
_Helios City Ruins_

A red light reading "Missile Lock" flashed on Kai's console, and he looked at the AC as it quickly approached. Two missiles took off from its shoulder-mounted launcher and closed in fast. Nerati dashed to the side, moving behind the building for cover. The explosion shattered the concrete of the building, making some of the floors collapse from the lack of support. Nerati's radar locked on to the enemies position and showed its pilot exactly where it moved. Taking the same route Kai did not so long ago, the enemy turned the corner, ready to attack. As if the AC had vanished, the unfriendly mech searched for a sign of Nerati. Before long, it was pelted by a hail of gunfire from above. Kai's robot fell from the sky, unloading its machine gun on the target. Reacting quickly, the enemy moved away, firing its rifle at Nerati, who swiftly dodged it by boosting to the side. The AC tried to lock on to Kai again. Once, twice, three locks. Nerati's auxillary boosters warmed up as the enemy fired three missiles. Almost as if vanishing, the mech moved to the side with amazing speed, the missiles missing its target completely and hitting another building behind it. The enemy tried to keep up with its movements, but failed, and took off into the air. Already a step ahead, Kai positioned his AC behind the enemy, firing its beam rifle at its back. Unlike the MT the rifle destroyed before, the target took the hit and fell to the ground, slamming hard against the pavement. Nerati fell from the sky and landed beside the downed opponent, aiming its machine gun at the area weaken by the blast. Without warning, the weapon fired mercilessly, the bullets piercing the armor and picking away at the machine's core. It stopped moving, and smoke rose from the carcass as Nerati let down its gun.

"Mission objective achieved. System switched to normal mode."

With the mission complete, Kai received a message from Rapture.

_Good work Kai. We've located your AC and we are sending a ship to pick you up. We'll see you in the briefing room as soon as you get back.  
-Captain Isuka_

Kai sighed and shook his head, his hand running through his hair in frustration.

"They never give me a break..."

In what seemed like days, the ship finally arrived outside of the ruins. It was a massive plane with a cargo bay large enough to fit the AC in easily. Its enormous boosters warmed up for take off as Nerati walked into the plane. The bay door slowly closed as the ship rose again, heading back towards the space colony. Kai rested, sleeping in his pilot's seat which he found comfortable enough. A few hours later, the ship landed in the transport bay and violently shook as it entered the simulated gravity of the colony. The motion woke Kai, and he let out a yawn before moving his AC to the repair bay. Despite the overwhelming success, Nerati did catch a couple of bullets from the MTs, but not enough to cause any real problem. Kai left the robots with the mechanics and headed towards the meeting room for his debriefing. Captain Isuka and Lieutenant Hawking were already seated, waiting for him to enter. Taking a seat, Kai smiled and greeted them.

"Hello again Captain, Lieutenant."

"Nice work on the mission Kai. You did far better than I expected. Especially against that surprise attack from the AC. Well done."

The captain congratulated him on the success, then handed him a paper. It was the pay stub from the Emeraude Corporation.


End file.
